Bridgewater-Raynham softball blanks Holy Name to take home first Division I state title

Saturday

Jun 14, 2014 at 11:49 PMJun 14, 2014 at 11:55 PM

One hit.

That's all Holy Name got in the game.

That's all Bridgewater-Raynham Regional needed to put the game away.

Glen FarleyThe Enterprise

WORCESTER — One hit.

That’s all Holy Name got in the game.

That’s all Bridgewater-Raynham Regional needed to put the game away.

Generating five first-inning runs with just the one hit — a double by Emily Kurkul — Saturday night’s MIAA Division I state championship softball game at Rockwood Field was never in doubt, the Trojans putting the finishing touches on a near-perfect season (25-1) with a 9-0 rout of the Naps.

On the flip side, B-R ace Sarah Dawson threatened to throw her third no-hitter of the tournament, holding Holy Name hitless until Ama Biney singled sharply with one out in the top of the sixth for the Naps’ lone hit of the game.

“We pretty much had a lot of energy going into this game. We had a lot of confidence. At the same time, we had a lot of patience,” Bridgewater-Raynham coach Mike Carrozza said. “They knew what they had to do and they did it.”

In doing so, they made history by winning the program’s first-ever state title, following up on the baseball program’s state title a year ago.

“It’s amazing. It’s great,” said Kurkul, who had two of B-R’s seven hits in the game. “We’re the first team to do it so that makes it even better. The baseball team did it last year so it’s pretty exciting.”

Holy Name actually threatened to take the lead early, but Dawson pitched her way out of immediate trouble, stranding Biney after she’d led off the game with a walk, stolen second and taken third when the throw wound up in center field. The junior righthander rebounded to set down the Naps’ 2-3-4 hitters on consecutive strikeouts and a line drive right at third baseman Madi Shaw.

“That,” said Shaw, “was momentum.”

The Trojans threatened in their half of the first inning and, with bunts and aggressive base running putting the pressure on the Naps’ defense, made the most of their opportunity, generating their first five runs of the game with just one hit thanks to four errors, a couple of wild pitches and a walk.

“I think what you want to do is develop momentum as fast as you can and the easiest way to develop momentum is runs on the board,” said Carrozza. “That first inning we had four or five runs.

“We kept them running and moving and putting the pressure on their defense and it worked out for us. We put five runs across real early so we had the momentum.”

In a preview of coming attractions, Shaw led off by reaching first on an error. After stealing second, she scored on Kurkul’s one-out double well up the left-center field gap.

After cleanup hitter Jenny Heller drew a walk, back-to-back bunts by Kelsey Leuenberger and Stephanie Cavallaro resulted in three more errors and three runs before a couple of wild pitches pushed the difference to 5-0.

“It’s a nice feeling with Sarah Dawson and our defense to have five runs sitting up front,” said Carrozza.

Staked to a five-run lead, Dawson was feeling pretty good herself. “It’s like a breath of fresh air,” she said. “It’s awesome. It takes the pressure off you as a pitcher who doesn’t bat in the lineup.”

With Dawson extending her postseason mastery (one run, 10 hits, with 41 strikeouts and just four walks in 41 innings), the outcome was never in doubt, the Trojans concluding their tournament run by outscoring their six opponents, 35-1

“She had good control and good power and used her changeup to keep them off balance,” said Carrozza. “They didn’t get to hit their pitches. Sarah controlled the game.”

The Trojans added a sixth run in the fourth when Shaw drew a two-out walk, stole second, took third when the speedy Stacey Korotsky beat out an infield single for her second hit of the game and scored on Kurkul’s second hit, a single down the left-field line.

Not that they needed it, but they added two more in the last of the sixth when Taylor Poulin and Shaw (who reached based in all four of her at-bats) singled and Korotsky dropped down a bunt that resulted in the Naps’ fifth error of the night.

A long double to left field by Heller accounted for the final run of the Trojans’ historic season.

“If it’s a big game, that’s what I live for,” said Dawson. “The regular season’s fun, trying to win and get to the tournament and get 10 wins (to qualify), but your reputation is how you do in the tournament and in big games when all eyes are on you. It’s fun to accomplish big things when all eyes are on you.”